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OWC Elektron USB-C SSD
Related: backup, laptop, Other World Computing, OWC Envoy Pro, OWC Envoy Pro Elektron, SSD, storage, USB, USB-C
Get OWC Envoy Pro Elektron at MacSales.com, 1TB and 2TB capacities.
Consult with Lloyd to design a storage and/or backup system and/or high performance workflow.
MPG assesses the late 2020 OWC Envoy Pro Elektron USB-C SSD, available in 240GB/480GB/1TB/2TB capacities.
The OWC Elektron USB-C SSD is characterized by outstanding performance in an ultra-compact form factor, ultra-durable build quality, bus-power, and totally silent operation. Regrettably as of early 2023 it is not yet available in 4TB capacity.
The OWC Elektron offers consistently high performance across the entire capacity that makes it a far superior choice over competing products like the 2TB Samsung T7 (though the newer T7 Shield might perform quite a lot better).
With its ultra-high performance that maxes-out the USB-C bus (see tests that follow), the OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is suitable for Mac or PC and for desktops or laptops.
The laptop usage is clear—and a great way to pocket all your stuff just in case the laptop disappears while traveling—but so compact is the Elektron that one might ponder affixing it in place to the rear of an iMac or Mac Mini with velcro.
One need not have a USB-C port; the Elektron’s supplied cable can be plugged into either a USB-C or USB-A port, for outstanding convenience on older machines, or between differing ones.
- About $369 for 2TB and $199 for 1TB (as this was written) with No Risk, No Hassle 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
- 3 Year OWC SSD Limited Warranty
- Bootable on Macs.
- Super-fast for all: save, backup, and edit personal and work files with up to 1011MB/s real-world performance1
- OWC Aura SSD powered: advanced NVMe technology delivers up to twice as fast performance compared to other portable SSDs
- Universally compatible: Plug and play with Thunderbolt and USB Macs or PCs as well as devices like the iPad Pro and Chromebooks
- Built like a tank: Crushproof, dustproof and waterproof IP67 rated2
- Tiny: pocket-sized to go anywhere easily
- Bootable: launch apps and start working in seconds (Mac only)
- Informative: LED for at glance confirmation of power and activity status3
- Cool: heat dissipating aircraft-grade aluminum housing for silent, throttle-free performance
- Connected: included USB-C cable with Type-A adapter plugs into to any machine anywhere
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Tested: Sustained transfer speed
Performance testing by DiskTester, part of diglloydTools.
As originally tested in 2020 on Intel Macs (2nd graph), read and write speed across the entire 1TB capacity shows as high a performance level as one might hope for with little deviation. This is as good as it gets for USB-C performance, and under a sustained maximal I/O load far exceeding anything resembling normal usage.
Tested again on the 2022 MacBook Pro M2 Mac after two years of usage, the performance has held up well. Please note that the first graph uses larger units (MiB/sec vs MB/sec).
Throughput figures are real-world transfer speed through the macOS file system.
Write speed: 902 MiB/sec = 946 MB/sec
Read speed: 933 MiB/sec = 978 MB/sec
Note: first graph uses MiB/sec. Multiply by (1024/1000)^2 = 1.048576 for MB/sec.
Older graph below uses MB/sec, a factor of about 1.04X different eg (1024/1000)^2.
Tested: Transfer speed vs transfer size
Performance testing by DiskTester, part of diglloydTools.
disktester run-sequential-suite -s 16K -e 512M --iterations 5 --test-size 2G
Even the small 32K I/O sizes hit speeds over 200MB/sec and this doubles by 128K. Typical of all SSDs, transfer size needs to hit 1MiB to 2MiB in order to reach 95% of peak speed.
This is a very strong performance that rapidly approaches the limits of the USB-C bus.
Note: first graph uses MiB/sec. Multiply by (1024/1000)^2 = 1.048576 for MB/sec.
Older graph below uses MB/sec, a factor of about 1.04X different eg (1024/1000)^2.
Conclusions
The 1TB OWC Envoy Pro Elektron USB-C SSD is a class-leading performer at an attractive price for its capacity and very high build quality. And with a 3-year warranty, OWC stands behind their products three times as long as Apple does.
The OWC Envoy Pro Elektron is the perfect add-on for anyone looking for ultra high performance for any computer with USB-C that is flagging in its internal storage. Being bootable, it is also a highly attractive upgrade for a clone backup of the system volume.
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Apple 13.3" MacBook Pro M1 Chip with Retina Display (Late 2020, Space Gray)
SAVE $600
